


World Could Burn (If Only You Were At My Side)

by KryOnBlock



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Aviar/harpy hybrid Phil, Character Death, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Dead Wilbur Soot, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Ghostbur, Grief/Mourning, Hurt No Comfort, Minecrafts Mechanics are loosely used for my own purposes, Phil is also their brother but also the father yknow, Piglin Technoblade, Piglin hybrid Wilbur, Respawn Mechanics, Sad Dave | Technoblade, Technoblade & Wilbur Soot are Twins, Temporary Character Death, Twin AU, but like in unhealthy ways, for now, lots of worldbuilding bc I can, mostly - Freeform, not beta read we die like Tubbo in the Festival, past insane Wilbur Soot, piglin worldbuilding bc i can, platonic cuddles, semi-graphic descriptions of injuries, tags are a mess, tags to be updated lol, those tags are...uff....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27757198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KryOnBlock/pseuds/KryOnBlock
Summary: And Technoblade looks at the new country, at this mockery of people who once told him they would take care of his brother, of this land that took away his brother's sanity, at people he once thought as family. He looks at them, talking happily in the distance, and turns to look at his dead brother, the semi-translucent shape almost indistinguishable from the forest behind him."Wilbur, you cannot stay here""...Okay" And his twin, the last and only member of his pack, nods and takes his hand, the cold seeping away what little warmth he has.-----------Technoblade and Wilbur are twins, and they are really not coping well after November 16th.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Dave | Technoblade, Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 711





	1. You Took Me Down

**Author's Note:**

> CW bc this chapter contains: Funerary practices, semi graphic descriptions of past injuries, very vivid allutions to dying/suicide, denial and grief, blood, lot's of not so great stuff.
> 
> This mini fic is already finished, so in a few days I'll be uploading the final part. Titles inspired by the song World Burn by the musical Mean Girls

The night after everything has gone down, Techno comes back into the heart of what once was a proud nation.

He steps carefully, armour off for once, as he silently navigates the debris and destruction all around. There is no one here, everyone probably has gone to sleep, tired by the recent events, but Techno cannot sleep, so he leaves his stuff in his not-so-secret-base and goes back, the pale light of a waning moon the only guide in this desolate night.

Finally, after a good half an hour, Techno stands in front of where once stood a podium, he ignores the memories of fireworks, of lights and screams, and focuses his poor sight on the open hill ahead, cracked open and spilling into the night all of its secrets. Carefully, Techno wakes his way and finds an opening, pickaxe breaking the blackstone covering the entrance. 

The room is cold, signs and words carved with such mania into the walls, that if Techno were to look closer, could almost imagine his brother there, standing and carving them with trembling hands.

The floor is sticky, boots making an uncomfortable sound as he steps in, pickaxe in hand. There is a lone chair in the center, burned and singed from all the explosions, barely standing up. He breaths in, the scent of gunpowder and blood almost overpowering the soft smell of cinnamon his brother always used to carry around. Carefully, he steps around the chair, and stares at the corpse on the floor.

The trenchcoat is bathed in blood, seeping into the stone as if watering it, the ever hungry ground demanding more and more blood to be spilled. His hair is matted, with dust and blood, as dried lines of the red liquid goes down his temple. If Techno were able to ignore the gore, he would say his brother looks peaceful, eyes closed and gentle smile on his face, a far cry of what he had looked lately in this server.

His hands are over his chest, just above the wound over his stomach, relaxed and barely curled. His head is bowed, as if in a prayer, hair brushed off his temple. 

It makes the rage inside Technoblade’s chest fuel all the more, licking flames threatening to spill outside, taking the whole server down with him. They had left his brother, his twin, outside, for the crows to eat, and it makes something hurt, to see this mockery of a country's claim to love his brother after death when they leave his corpse to rot here, in all glory.

Carefully, he kneels and takes Wilbur into his arms, closing his eyes to stop the onslaught of emotions that threaten to overcome him, when the scent of cinnamon gets closer, wafting around him as if in an embrace.

He starts the descent, taking the body of his brother with him, outside of the crater, and far far away, until he can see Pogtopia barely rising in the distance. Here, in this clearing in between, Techno slowly deposits the body down.

He takes a quick detour to his base and Pogtopia, coming back with an empty bucket, rags, his gold jewelry, leather, some materials, a medkit and some of Wilbur’s clothes.

Carefully filling the bucket, Techno slowly starts cleaning the body, brushing away the blood and dust, slowly taking off the drenched trenchcoat and dirty shirt. He sews the wound together, washing away the blood, before dressing Wilbur’s back into his old yellow sweater, the soft wool looking no worse to wear, despite having been underneath, hidden in a chest and left to gather dust.

He mentally goes to all the steps, barely remembered in his age, from what they used to do when someone died in a sounder. He had cleaned and sewed the wounds, and had changed him into clothes of old, he was sure the sweater had the same happy memories for Wilbur as it did for him. Carefully spreading out the leather, he moves his brother into the crude nest. Brushing away the damp hair, Techno sighs, heartache momentarily blinding him.

He then takes the jewelry and starts adorning him, the golden cuffs shining around his pale’s wrists, the shiny earrings going around the long ears. Hesitating for a moment, Techno puts the rings in his hands, taking care to avoid the still sharp black nails, and his tail, the thin limb so tiny it makes his emotions all more stronger for a second. The cracked respawn star is on top of his chest, barely glowing, faintly, as if to show how far away his brother now is, the cracks across the surface clearly telling how someone, how a Player willingly gripped and shattered it, uncaring of the fate of the owner.

“Shame you always filed your tusks down Wilbs, I’m sure you would have had some greats one” Techno sighs, kneeling besides the corpse “I—I’m not sure what else the piglins did, you always were the better one remembering”

He closes his eyes, taking a moment to will away the tears gathering in his eyes. 

“You used to be obsessed with remembering, with—with writing down whatever came to mind. I hate myself a little for never listening now” He breathes in, stomping down the whine coming up “Out of us, you were always the best one”

He cannot look at the body any longer, so he averts his gaze, shame bubbling in his throat, as he pulls his ears back. Because seeing the corpse means confronting the reality that his twin is dead, that his quick-witted, smart and funny brother is a corpse, that his other half has been torn out of his side finally, by the hands of the caretaker he never thought would turn on them.

The crack of a branch caughts his attention and he turns instantly, Axe appearing in his hand, as he growls into the night, curled around the body, protective and possessive.

No one gets out of the shadows, but now that Techno is distracted, he can hear their presence everywhere, the shallow breaths on the other side of the clearing, the faint  _ thump-thump _ of a heart. He growls again, a warning and a threat in the same tone, as he shifts his grip on the axe.

Dream appears from the shadows, both hands held up in a show of meaning no malice, but not for a single second the piglin believes it. He lets the shapeshifter approach barely a meter before growling again, showing his tusk in a promise of retribution if he gets any closer. The other looks horrible, saying it plainly, the clothes all torn up and haggard, and Techno is almost surprised the shapeshifter is able to be standing up, since he is so hunched on himself.

“What do you want?” He coughs out, not relaxing his stance for a second. “Didn’t you already get what you needed, why are you here False-Face?”

If the shapeshifter is annoyed by the insult, he does not show it, just slowly sitting down, hands open and relaxed in a show of submission. “I was searching for Wilbur”

“You found him” Techno’s eyes flickered only once behind him, before turning ahead once more “Now leave”

“......What are you doing?”

“Why do you care?” Techno doesn’t trust this, but he relaxes his grip on the axe for a second. “I thought you only wanted my brother for chaos, leave the bodies be”

“It wasn’t my intention, for him to die” Dream says, almost awkwardly, clearly not looking anywhere close to the corpse behind him “He was only supposed to blow up Manberg”

“What did you expect, for him to just stay there, do nothing afterwards, especially knowing how unstable he was?” 

“I… I didn’t think it was that bad”

“He’s half piglin Dream, of course it would be bad”

“Half—? I thought he was human!” The shapeshifter exclaims, disbelieving. Techno snorts, and leans back.

“On you for thinking that… Though Wilbur did have a habit of hiding the prominent traits” Techno sighs, tired, and raises a hand to his face “Tell me plainly, shapeshifter, why are you here?”

“I… I think I can bring Wilbur back”

Techno flinches, and looks up at the other, shock filling his body. 

“I, I know it seems impossible but I think I can bring him back… At least half of him” He moves his hands around, nervous and panicked “I know it seems bad but I think I can do something!”

“... why do you care? I thought you hated Wil”

Dream deflates at his words, head bowing as he stares at his fidgeting hands.

“Is just… nobody was supposed to die” Dream whispers, voice almost cracking, and it is with a startle that Techno remembers that Dream is relatively young, barely out of his teenage years. 

Shapeshifters age differently, he vaguely remembers, and suddenly it bathes everything in a new light, this whole encounter, making Techno grimace at the implications.

“If I were to let you, what would you do?”

“I… Well, there is something… Ugh, you know how there is creative mode, right?”

Techno nodded, curious about what the Admin wanted to get at.

“There is another mode… It’s called Spectator”

* * *

  
  
  


Dream shivered, as the hold of the commands took over, and his body disappeared from sight. With a quick flick of his wrist the server Code disappeared from sight, his communicator flashing a bright yellow before going back into the normal appearance, all signs of belonging to an Admin disappearing.

As Spectator mode kicks in, Dream makes sure to breathe in deeply, ignoring the prickling sensation on his skin as it disappears and becomes incorporeal. Slowly he blinks, adjusting to the natural night vision Spectator brings. He is still standing in the clearing, floating a few meters above the ground, and Techno is scrutinizing where he once stood, eyes unseeing despite the torches bringing in light. Dream waves his hand around, and grins when he sees the piglin not track the movement. Everything is in order.

He stands there for a few seconds, watching the Mob Player, who huffs and turns around, going back to tending to the bod—going back to attending Wilbur. Techno’s whole expression crumbles when he looks at Wilbur’s face, hands softly brushing away the hair. Dream shifts, uncomfortable, sensing as if he’s intruding into something too intimate, feeling oddly out of place when seeing the warrior’s vulnerable expression.

Turning his back quickly, Dream breathes once again deeply, before slowly descending, shuddering at the sensation of his feet going through the dirt. It feels so weird, almost uncomfortable to the point of pain, but Dream firmly continues on, gasping quietly as his head finally goes down too, his whole vision dark with the exceptions of the few caves he can see below the ground. If he squints, he’s sure he can also see Pogtopia too, the ravine filled with buttons and lanterns.

Dream goes down, down, down, until he stops at a small pocket of air, only bedrock below him, the stone arching above his head. It feels super cold here, and Dream can feel the calling of the Void, of the Universe, hungry hands clawing at the bedrock that protects them from it. Dream takes a few minutes to calm down his racing heart, hands in constant shifting, as if he were young again, still unsettled and not knowing which shape to take. 

For a second he considers stopping, just going back up and taking the opportunity to go before the worst part starts. But then he remembers the sorrowful expression of Techno’s face, the scream Tommy gave when he saw Wilbur on that podium, how shaken everyone was after everything, and he knows he cannot go back without Wilbur back.

Going through bedrock is worse than any block so far, feeling as if trapped in cobwebs, a coldness so harsh, so intense, Dream gasps and for a whole second he regrets even thinking about this before he grinds his teeth and continues on. Once he goes past the bedrock, Dream breathes more easily, watching the open maw of the Void below and grimacing a little.

Slowly he starts his descent, communicator open in his wrist, the screen offering little light in the vastness surrounding him. Everything is silent here, to the point his own heartbeat feels so loud he fears he may go deaf from it. He shivers, as he descends down  _ down  _ **_down_ ** , his feet almost glitching out, as if his body is not sure if it wants to stay in Spectator mode, going visible and invisible at random. 

Dream stops just at the edge of the first part of the Void, gulping as he presses a button of his communicator, opening the Code panel, the whole server’s information starting to scroll down. 

This is the moment of truth.

With hesitance, Dream types in a few commands and presses enter, waiting until his hands light up green and yellow, the glowing outline shimmering with the same glints of enchantments, a little of Galactic floating away from his hands whenever he moves them.

He kneels, taking a moment to breathe and calm his nerves, before he thrust his hands forward, gripping the edge of the initial part of the Void and  **ripping it** **_apart._ **

Pain shoots up his hands, gripping and furrowing under his chest, but he continues on, until there is a visible rip in the barrier that separates the initial void from The Void.

Initial Void is so easy compared to the actual Void, Dream thinks grimacing as he tries moving through it, initial Void at least has the mercy of killing any Player who manages to get past the bedrock barrier somewhat swiftly, returning the Player back to their spawn point.

The Actual Void? No.

Dream doesn’t think there is anything here that is capable of mercy. The space feels so heavy, so different from the lightness of before, as if one is moving through molasses. He swears he can see something moving in the dark, tendrils almost gripping him before the World realizes he’s the Admin, grumbling but leaving him alone. This is where the banned, who don't have another world and refuse to go back to the Main Hub, end up. 

The shapeshifter ends up having to take a lot of breaks as he descends, forgetting momentarily what he’s doing before he remembers his mission. He keeps his eyes peeled, searching for the most minimal sign of Wilbur, but everything is dark and silent, the distant whisper of the Universe his only company.

The deeper he goes, the more the whispers grow and grow, the darkness dimming, until he can see the stars, the edges of this World as it’s known, tiny branches of luminous code connecting it to the main tree that is the Public Hub, the ever encompassing Universe underneath, the stars and galaxies, shimmering in between the darkness of the void. It is beautiful. It is  _ dangerous. _

Dream stops a few good meters away from the last invisible barrier, strongly ignoring the alluring whispers of it, as he searches for the person he came for.

A bright, white ball of light catches his attention, drifting lazily just at the edge, and Dream approaches it, the ball slowly diffusing and becoming the glowing shape of a brunette the closer he gets. It is Wilbur, floating there, face relaxed and peaceful, as if asleep.

His shape is somewhat clearly defined, his face easily recognisable, though his legs and feet look hazy, blurry. 

Dream doesn’t fear much, but in that moment, as he stares at who once he considered a friend, Oh, Dream is  _ terrified. _

Wilbur shouldn’t be here, so deep in the embrace of the Void, in the part where only the Banned, the Branded and the Hopeless dare to go; Wilbur shouldn’t be here, so ready to sink in the embrace of the Universe and disappear from existence. How did he let it go this badly, he thinks desperately, when did this bright man disappear, when did his will to live, to continue die, his hope get crushed? 

_ It should have never gotten to this,  _ he thinks hysterically as he approaches the fastest he can to the seemingly sleeping figure,  _ it should have never gotten to this. _

“Hello” Calls the melodic voice of the spectre, eyes still closed as he floats lazily around “I haven’t seen you around here”

“Wilbur”, he breathes, “Wilbur we need to go”

The shape tilts his head, eyes still closed, as if listening closer to the alluring whispers of the Universe below. 

“Why?” He asks, uncaring and indifferent “I am so close to It”

“We… No, You shouldn’t be here Wilbur. People are waiting for you”

“People? I had people?” And Wil opens his eyes, blank sockets filled with the stars, galactic seeping from them as if it were tears. “There is People out there?”

“Yes. A lot of people are out there, hoping for you to come back”

“I… I don’t know if I want to go back, Admin. Here it is so… peaceful” And the innocence, the happiness in his voice breaks the shapeshifter hearts, into tiny shards, which crumble into dust at the happy humming the specter gives out. “Above is scary, I think”

“You think?”

“I can’t remember, but it couldn’t have been good if I am so happy down here. Horns remembers better, but I don’t know where he is now”

“H… Horns?”

“Yeah, he’s very very tall and so so far away up there. I think… I think he did something, to me, because we were both up there before, but now I am here and he’s gone”

“...”

“I think I want to stay here. Their voice is so soft, I feel as if I could fall asleep”

“Their voice?”

“Can you not hear their whispers? They are down below” The shape points downward “They tell me so much warm things, I think I want to join”

“You can’t”

“Why? They say I will be able to Rest, that they Love me, that down there it will be Kind”

And Dream is crying, because he can hear it too, the kind embrace of the Universe ever entasing, lulling him to them, so full of Love for him. Dream is crying, because he also wants to join, every Player wants to join the Universe, but it is not his time yet, nor Wilbur’s too. And the Universe understands, because the Universe is Kind, the Universe says I Love You, the Universe tells them It's Okay, they can wait, they will Always Wait For Them.

So Dream gets closer to Wilburs and takes the cold, cold hands into his shaking ones, tears dripping down their face, and he says. 

“You could go there, someday, but not right now. We need to go back”

“We have to?”

“Yes” Dream sobs, gripping the hands tighters, as if trying to give him some warmth, some anchor “Yes, we have to.”

“Okay” Wilbur whispers, empty sockets closing, as he tips his head and rests it against Dream’s shoulders, enjoying the warmth the Admin gives out.

“Okay” Dream reassures himself, and slowly, slowly, he begins to tug the other Player out, the Universe whispering goodbyes in their ears as they finally leave the Void.

Technoblade is kneeling on the floor, in the same spot as Dream had left him, when they come back.

Dream breathes in the Overworld air, enjoying the ground beneath his feet, as his body slowly materializes and adjusts to not being in Spectator mode anymore. He sways, and would almost crumble into the floor, had Techno not grabbed him by his elbow, helping him stay standing up.

He blinks tiredly, barely noticing the semi-worried piglin now besides him, as he slowly brings his hands in front of him, curled tight against each other. He breathes in, and then out, breathes into the small light orb in his hands whatever power he has left, as the orb slowly grows and grows, expanding until Wilbur is standing in front of him. 

The brunette is floating, visible to the rigid piglin, hands semi-translucent, as if stuck in between Survival and Spectator. His eyes are black, so so black, as if they had the Void gathered in them.

“Hi Techie” The ghost breathes out, small smile gracing his face, as his tiny tail sways happily from side to side behind him “It’s been a while”

Techno blinks, and approaches slowly, touching in wonder the semi translucent hands, before giving a harsh tug and putting his arms around the ghost, sinking into the cold embrace as sobs start to tear out of his lungs.

Wilbur blinks bewildered, but lets himself fall into the embrace of his brother, nudging the other’s head and letting the piglin cling desperately to him. 

Dream just sits heavily into the ground, dizzy and tired, and blinks, falling instantly into a deep sleep, deciding to give the brothers some time together for now.

* * *

  
  
  


“So I’m dead” 

“Yep” Dream states, ignoring the clingy piglin besides the ghost “Your body is over there”

“Huh” Wilbur says, not looking too bothered “That’s good to know?”

The shapeshifter shrugs, standing up and coming back quickly, after taking something from the body. The respawn Star glows dimly in his hands, as he passes it to Wilbur, who stares with something indescriptible in his gaze, at the tiny necklace in his hands.

“I don’t know what happened or who damaged your star, nor how to repair it, so you’ll be stuck like this for… a while”

“That's fine” Wilbur said, eyes distant “I can stay like this, I don’t mind”

Dream bites his tongue, the almost instant question of  _ Would you? _ Burning on his mouth, but he ignores it and just smiles at Wilbur, the ghost barely acknowledging him. It doesn’t surprise him, since the ghost had admitted that he didn’t remember what had happened down Below. A part of the shapeshifter felt better, knowing he wouldn’t remember, knowing he wouldn’t have the strength to share what had happened down there. It would probably be another of the thousands secrets Dream would take with him to the grave.

After a few minutes, Dream leaves the other two, managing to extract a promise from the piglin before he left, quickly disappearing between the trees, leaving behind a small reassurance for the Mob Player. Techno doubted he would see him soon, from how tired he looked, he probably would sleep for a week, he thought distantly.

The brothers now are alone, the silence weighting between them almost too much to dare to break it. Techno doesn’t dare to say a word, instead spending his time absorbing the other’s face, so carefree and without any line of the paranoia, of the madness that Wilbur had carried when he had arrived at the server. There aren't any scars from arrows, the hair is soft and brushed, so different from their time in Pogtopia, it almost leaves Techno disoriented.

“When did you come to visit L’manburg?” Wilbur asks, breaking the silence, as he shifts to look at his twin, a smile gracing his lips, so different from what Techno had grown used to.

“I… L’manburg?”

“Yeah, my nation, L’manburg. Did Tommy invite you?” Wil is clueless on the distraught present on Techno, his face blank but ears pulled tight, tail rigid, head semi-bowed as he stares at the ghost.

“Do, Wilbur do you not remember?”

“Remember what?”

_ Oh. _

What is he supposed to say? If his brother has been spared from the last months, from what had happened, who is Techno to spoil it for him?

But can he truly say nothing, considering how big is the possibility of Wilbur going back to where once stood the nation?

“What do you remember?” He asks, instead, not wanting to give out more than the necessary.

“I.. Well…” Wil blinks confused at him, but does answer “I remember winning the war, I remember Sa-… I remember… I remember the elections, winning them… I… I’m not sure what else should I remember” 

“Wils, you…” Techno sighs, taking the hands of his brother between his, hooves contrasting a lot against the soft human hands the other has, the black long nails the only sign of being not human “Wils you didn’t win the elections”

“Oh…”

“A lot, A lot has happened Wils” Techno grimaces, knowing that barely even covers the immensity of what has happened “It’s been a long time”

They stay in silence, Techno’s gaze fixed on their hands, as Wilbur stares out in the distance, brows furrowed, as if trying to find what memories could be missing. Techno’s not afraid to admit how grateful he is for the lost memories his brother has, knowing how much it would hurt him if he were to know.

“I, um, What is gonna happen to my body?”

Techno jumps, startled, and shrugs tilting the head towards where the corpse was. He followed the ghost behind, standing besides the corpse, not knowing what to say… It was funny, he never knew what to say, did he?

“Oh… I thought you didn’t remember when I talked to you about it…” Wilbur said, staring at the jewelry and old clothes, the baby yellow sweater, the beanie.

Techno shrugs again, kicking one of his feet against the dirt, staring at the tracks the hooves left on it.

They stay in silence, as the night starts to fall away and the sun begins peaking over the horizon. Wilbur picks up one of the torches laying there and brings it to the leather, his ghostly shape shining as the flames caught onto it and burned around, the funeral pyre rising up and up and up, as if grasping for the sky.

Techno and Wil stayed silent the whole time there, watching the fire decimate the body and the ashes floating away, until only a scorch mark remained in place. Wil just floated around the piglin, as he slowly piled rocks over the mark, the shiny blackstone, until a little monument was there, resting in the middle of the clearing. With great care, Techno shifted everything around, until he huffed satisfied, falling back and touching shoulders with the cold cold shape of his brother.

“What will you do now?” Technoblade asked, eyes fixed on the blackstone pile,Wilbur humming distractedly under his breath.

“Probably head back to L’manburg”

“...Oh”

“Will you not come?” Wilbur stares at him, in confusion, as he stops in his tracks and looks back at his twin.

“I’m not exactly welcomed there”

“That’s nonsense! Tommy would be elated to see you Techno!”

Techno grimaced, taking a step and huffing, shaking his head, the golden earrings clinking together at the movement. Wilbur took a moment to take in his brothers image, the blood soaked cape, the soot and ash staining the clothes, the crooked crown, the chips in his tusk, the tired expression, the tense ears and tails.

“Nah. You go ahead, I’ll… I’ll be around”

“You will visit me, right?”

Techno just looked sadly at his dead brother and nodded. Wilbur didn’t like how this sounded like a goodbye.

“Sure, I’ll visit”

“Promise?”

  
“...Of course. Take care, alright Wil?"  


And Technoblade leaves, only looking back once, trusting that at least the rest of the family can be there for Wilbur where he can't. ~~_He ignores the voices screaming at him this is a bad idea._~~


	2. But You Didn't Finish Me Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title: Techno has enough(tm)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this is where the found family and dysfuntional family tags enter into play lol. No cw here, so you'll probably be fine. This chapter was kind of difficult to finish so im sorry for any inconsistency lol

Techno really means to visit Wilbur, he truly does!

But when his secret base kept getting raided he had to move, and it took him so long to move everything, and then building a good base, and getting clothes appropriate for the climate, and grinding for materials, and then hearing about a certain rumour of star respawn and hunting it down, and researching it, and looking for everything that could give him a clue, all without any contact with the outside world, nobody contacting him anywhere. And before Techno can process it, it’s been a month since he last saw his brother.

And he hates, hates how much he’s breaking his promise, and it hurts him, to leave his brother, his twin behind in a land that so much has hurt him; but as he stares at the ratty book on his hands, Techno cannot find something in his heart to get truly truly upset.

The book is old, maybe as old as the World they are in, the title of the book almost faded away, a few letters around giving him a very vague sense of what this means. The pages are yellow and so thin, Techno’s almost scared to even lift them, in fear of tearing them up. The words are a weird mix of villager dialect, Galactic and some scribbles Techno cannot figure out for the life of him. He had found it while exploring a Woodland mansion he had found some weeks ago.

He hears a knock at his door, and startles, quickly hiding the book in his ender chest before opening and letting the guest in. 

Phil smiles gratefully, shaking the snow off the wings he had been using to cover himself, the raptor-like hands absolutely covered in fabric. Techno snorts and nudges Phil inside, guiding the older to the chairs he has around the fireplace, putting in more wood and watching his caretaker practically melt at the warmth from the chimney. 

“Heya mate” Phil greets, wings gently extended over the fireplace to warm them, and Techno lets the blonde brush his fur with his claws, in some kind of pseudo-preen greeting. “Been a while, huh?”

The piglin nodded, closing his eyes and enjoying the soft petting. He had only seen Phil once, when he had arrived  ~~_ and killed his brother _ ~~ , practically disappearing the second he could. He had only sent him a few messages, telling him where he was vaguely, telling him he was fine and to take care of himself in the meantime.

Techno tried to not let the indifference hurt him, having craved for Phil’s company for so long, the chasm separating them growing bigger and bigger each day the blonde didn’t say anything nor visited nor explained why he did what he did. Techno had sent him the coords of his base, an implicit  _ “Please visit” _ , that was easily brushed off until today.

Phil apparently had spent some days on New L’manberg, leaving quickly and spending the rest of the month out alone, in some Ice Peaks a few thousands blocks away from his current base. Techno let the other ramble about what he had done, putting the kettle on and just bringing mugs and tea back, as the blonde now proceeded to take his winter haori off, to let it dry in front of the fire. Techno just stayed quiet, letting the aviar hybrid talk and talk, while internally trying to calm down and push the hurt away, unsuccessfully trying to focus on what he was saying.

“Have you known of L’manburg?” Techno asked, sipping from his hot tea, sinking into the other couch and Phil practically melted on the spot from the warmth.

“Yeah, kept in contact for a little while in the Peaks” He whispered, yawning.

“How is Wilbur?” Techno startled when Phil jumped, holding his mug tightly to not spill anything and looked worried at the older, who stared at him pale in both horror and terror.

“What… You know?” Phil said, looking at the piglin so intensely it made him uncomfortable.

“Yes? I was there when Wil came back as a ghost?”

“I thought… I thought you didn’t know” Phil whispered, tearing his gaze away, claws practically digging into the mug. “You weren’t supposed to know”

“...What do you mean”

“You weren’t supposed to know Wilbur was a ghost” Phil sighed, dragging a hand down his face, ignoring how tense Techno had gotten.

“What does that mean? You weren’t going to tell me?” 

“...”

Techno stood up, the couch screeching as it was practically shoved back, hands trembling and depositing strongly the mug onto the nearby table. Phil jumped, and looked wearily at who once he called his son, the Mob Player practically shaking from how tightly he was holding himself.

“So… If I hadn’t known, you wouldn’t have told me Wilbur was here. You would just… You would have just let me go on thinking my brother was dead”

“Techno…”

“Don’t “Techno” me!” He snapped, hands clenching and unclenching as he desperately tried to fight back the rage that threatened to overtake him. “You had no plans of telling me my twin was still here, you just… You were willing to let me mourn!”

“I would have told you eventually” Phil sighed, looking more tired than ever.

“When, When would you have told me?! When I was back again to destroy that place?! When I was leaving this World?!” 

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you! You had been running yourself ragged and knowing that Wilbur was still here, stuck without being able to move on, would just have ruined you!” Phil said, bitter, making Techno freeze and turn to look at him.

“Don’t say that”

“You cannot deny it, look at yourself, for End’s sake! Wilbur being here will only hurt you more, don’t you see it?”

“Shut up! You… You have no right to say that. Would you prefer to not have him at all?”

“Yes!” Phil practically screamed, anger rolling off him in waves, standing up, wings extended and fluffed up “Yes, because what that ghost is, is a fucking shell of the son I had! That is  **not** my son!”

Techno took a step back, growling, showing menacingly his tusks, which glinted with the light from the fire.

“Do not talk about my brother like that”

“I can talk however damn I want! Wilbur has hurt everyone, every single person he had while his stay on this server, and his fucking ghost only works to make everything worse!”

“He didn’t hurt me!”

“YES HE DID!” Phil yelled, taking a step forward, extending his hand as if trying to signify his base right now, covered from wall to wall with chests filled with weapons, with armour, with whatever could be needed. “Look at you! Look at you, and tell me this is fine, that you weren’t manipulated, hurt by him! Wilbur hurt you, made you into a fucking weapon, and you want me to be fine with that?!”

“You never cared before! This has been happening since practically forever, but you never once, ONCE, you cared enough to say something!” Techno snapped back, ears pulled tensely back, as he held so still it hurt, trying to not feel intimidated by his  ~~_ father _ ~~ once caretaker. “You only care now because Wilbur is dead and you can place the blame on him instead of you!”

“Don’t—!” Phil didn’t get to say more, taking a step forward with his hand still up, and pausing when Techno took a noticeable step back, the piglin hunched as if preparing to attack. At the growl the other player gave, Phil flinched back, hand automatically flying to his sword attached at his hip, making Techno startle back, breath hitching.

They stared at each other, tensely, in silence; the weight of the implications of their actions practically crushing them. Phil slowly moved his hands up and away from the sword handle, hurt in his face as he saw the fear his son regarded him.

“Techno” He said, pained, such a hurt expression on him, making Techno grimace and just look away “I won’t hurt you, I—I would never hurt you”

“...How can I know when you already killed my brother?” Techno whispered, hands flying to his face and rubbing furiously at his eyes, ignoring how the blonde took a step back.

“That's… That's different”

“It wasn’t… It never wasn’t for me” Techno turned away, stomping down on the instincts crying at him for turning his back on someone dangerous, on someone who could kill him. “Go away Philza, you have overstayed your welcome here”

He didn’t look back, as he heard the breath hitch, forcing his gaze into a single spot, ears attentantly hearing the other back away, putting his haori on and opening the door of his base.

“He can’t remember… He has been… He has been losing more and more his memories” Phil whispered at the entrance, hesitating “He… He may look like Wilbur, Techno, but that is not your brother”

“Goodbye Philza”

Hearing the blonde’s sigh, he waited until the door closed and steps crunched away in the snow.

Standing in the middle of his now empty base, Techno gave out a shaky breath and gulped down the lump on his throat. He breathed out, in, out, calming his racing heart and collapsed on the floor, biting his hand and trying to muffle his whimpers and whines.

He gives himself some minutes, staying on the cold stone floor, to mourn what it once had been, what they once had. He mourns quietly, as he always has done, letting the heartbreak pierce his chest and kill him over and over again, until he manages to get his breath under control. Ignoring the heavy lump on his throat, he stands up and opens the ender chest, staring at the old book in the middle of it, surrounded by diamonds and debri and potions.

Guess he’s scratching out the idea of asking Philza for help.

Sighing, he gingerly takes it out, sitting on the floor and looking it over, staring at the scribbles and words thrown together, hoove tracing the Undying totem sketch on the page, staring at the faded circles around the eyes of the totem.With one hand tracing his own respawn star to calm down, Techno continues with the other passing the pages, barely understanding the words in front of his eyes until he stops, staring at what must the page 57, if he can read the faded words correctly.

He stares at the star drawn on the page, eyes looking between it, the title of the page ( _ “Players Revival” _ ) and his own respawn star. Sitting properly, he leaves his own necklace alone, and focuses on the page, opening a nearby chest and taking out a book and quill. Opening the new blank book, he starts translating what he cans, trying to remember as best as he can the villager dialect he had learnt while staying here.

Slowly, words start making sense, and before Techno knows it, he has an entire new book filled with notes and finally, finally, a plan. He stares, and smiles, finally breathing easy for the first time in months.

He stands up, pocketing the book, brushing off his pants and determinedly going towards his armour chest. 

He has a country to visit now.

  
  
  


* * *

Techno arrives in the middle of the night, armour shining with powerful enchantments and axe tight in his hand. He stops just outside the nation, staring at the chinese lanterns floating above, unsuccessfully trying to shove away the hurt and nostalgia that comes to him when he remembers Phil and his twin, making lanterns and throwing them outside of their house. It is hot here, when compared to his cold base, but he steadily ignores it, cramming the discomfort away into a corner and focusing on the task at hand.

He watches, carefully, each house and slowly relaxes when he sees no one moving through the windows. They are probably all asleep, he thinks, since it’s very late and he very much doubts anyone is outside their bed, especially considering how tomorrow there will be an “important meeting” (What meeting? Techno has no idea, he only knows that one will happen from some messages on the general chat).

He steps into the country, admiring the platforms and houses on stilts that have spawned in what once was a smoking crater. He can easily see where Phil and Wilbur helped, their building abilities standing out clearly against the basic spruce platforms. It reminds him a little of his old home, that cozy cottage between the beach and forest, where Phil and Wil would spend hours upon hours expanding and making nicer. 

He walks through the little stands, weaving in between the colorful banners, admiring each piece and stopping for a second in front of a stand with noteblocks. It is tiny, practically shoved against the edge of the platform, a tiny sign hanging from the middle of the noteblock, the words “Wilbur Soot, best musician in town :)” carved into the oak wood. He traces the words, and looks at the note blocks, a little dusty, with footprints of kicks at the sides. 

He steadily ignores the wanted posters on the wall, not looking at the “wanted, dead or alive” with ease, eyes focused on scanning everywhere in search of his twin. 

There.

With careful steps, Techno soon manages to get onto the hill and climbs up the crane, ignoring the splinters that stab into his skin, until he manages to get to the top. The vaguely shiny and translucent figure of his brother startles, turning to look at him, empty eyes filled with void staring straight through his soul. 

“Techno…” Wilbur breathes out, with some indescriptible emotion, that the piglin doesn’t have enough energy to dissect right now. 

He stares at the ghost, drinking in the lazily swaying tail, the little incisors peeking through his mouth, the sharp ears. Wilbur looks… young, he looks at ease, almost… Almost happy one could say, if one didn’t know him well. Techno stared at the straight back, the tense hands, the limp hair, and knew better.

“I… I didn’t know you were around” Wil says, patting the wood besides him and Techno obligues, sitting besides the ghost, not flinching from the cold he can feel from where he sits.

“I promised you I would come visit”

“You did?”

Techno closes his eyes and nods, ignoring the whispering voice that tells him he forgot, he forgot and what says he’ll remember you.

“Oh.. I didn’t know” Wilbur smiles, and Techno buries the urge to nudge the other and bury his head on the other’s chest as if they were piglets all over again “I’m glad you came, I was feeling lonely”

“Oh?” He asks, frowning when he sees Wilbur fidget in place.

“Yeah, it’s uh, it’s curious… Ah, apparently I wasn’t the best? While alive?”

“You were good for a big part of your life” Techno reassures him, tail tensing when he sees Wilbur just sigh “What happened?”

“It’s just… I, I think I must have been pretty bad the last few moments then… No one quite likes me, I think”

“That's stupid. You are one of the founding fathers of L’manburg, everyone loves you”

“Do they, really?” He mutters, sharp nails trying to pick at his own ghostly skin “... Nobody likes when I’m around, and they just… they just  **keep** ignoring me!!”

Techno blinks at the outburst.

“They keep ignoring me, and leaving me alone! And Tommy just, just screams at me when he sees me! And nobody tells me anything, and they just keep leaving me alone, and it’s so c _ old  _ and Dad refuses to see me!” Wilbur goes on, shiny silver tears gathering at his void eyes, not falling and won’t ever fall “I just… why won’t they talk to me, they just leave me alone and no matter how much I try they leave, and they get sad when I forget but I can’t control it! I’m not purposely forgetting!! And nobody visits me, and they made me leave my old house so now I’m stuck in the fucking sewers and nobody goes to even say hi to me, no matter how much I try to mend things!!”

Techno just watches his twin rant, a silent companion, as he lets the other talk, while he recriminates himself for not coming sooner.

“I… Was I that bad, truly?” Wilbur asks, voice so broken, Techno just hugs him, basking in the cold shock the other gave off, putting his chin over the other’s shoulder, the ghost just flinching and then practically melting against his chest.

“You weren’t Wils… Bad things happened and you needed help, and nobody could get you help” Techno mutters, ignoring the shaking hands clinging at his shirt “You needed help, and no one helped you even though we should have”

_ I should have _ , he thinks bitterly to himself, _ I shouldn’t have let it go this bad, I should have intervened _

Should, should, should. 

“I’m not bad?”

And, oh, how it hurts Techno the question. The tiny voice, reminding him so much of their time spent together as kids when Wil would go to his room after a nightmare. He just tightens his hold over the ghost, the once brunette burrowing under his chin, shaking, as if he would disappear if they let go.

They stay like that, for a long long time, as the moon shines above their heads, the chinese lanterns standing brightly against the sky, like hand made stars. Not for the first time, Techno wishes Wilbur had never accepted the invitation into the server, wishes he had accompanied them the first time, wishes he had taken Wilbur and Tommy away when he got here, and saw how they were.

He wishes for a lot, he thinks drily, for so many things that will never happen.

“Wilbur” He says, leaning back “Wil, why do you stay here when it’s all so bad?”

His brother whines when he leans back, but stays close enough, the ears pulled back tight against his skull, and it hurts Techno, how young his brother looks right now.

“It’s… Techno, it’s L’manburg, I can’t… I can’t leave. I put so much into it, sacrificed so much… It all would be worthless if I left”

“No” He says, holding his twin from the shoulders “It wouldn’t be worthless if you left. Wils, you sacrificed so much for this uncaring country, don’t let it take you once again”

“But… Everyone’s here, I… I can’t leave them”

“Yes you can! Nobody talks to you, they ignore you, Tommy screams at you!! Can’t you see how much this land only hurts you?!”

“Where could I go? No one wants me around, at least here I have a home”

Techno closes his eyes, and shakes his head, hands gripping tightly the other. “You live in the sewers Wilbur, please, can’t you see it?”

“But… Who would even want me around!” Wilbur cries, and Techno just hugs him around.

“I would want you around, damn it Wilbur. I will always want you around”

Wilbur stays silent, resting his head against Techno’s shoulder, drinking in the calming scent of fire, of metal, of brimstone.

They stay together like this, searching what little comfort they can find in the other, as the sun rises and the citizens of the country leave their houses to start their day.

And Technoblade looks at this new country, at this mockery of people who once told him they would take care of his brother, of this land that took away his brother’s sanity, at people he once thought as family. He looks at them, talking happily in the distance, and turns to look at his dead brother, the semi-translucent shape almost indistinguishable from the forest behind him.

“Wilbur, you cannot stay here. Not anymore”

“...Okay” And his twin, the last and only member of his pack, nods and takes his hand, the cold seeping away what little warmth he has “Okay”

Techno nods, and tugs his brother up, both standing on the edge of the crane, a promise of something unspoken between them. He tugs him away and descends, standing at the edge of the forest. Wilbur looks behind, something raw and distraught on his face as he stares at the country he helped make; the piglin just nudges him, hand grasped tightly around his, and they leave, carefully, towards the hidden base Techno has on the tundra, communicator on one hand as he calls in a favor.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Techno stands up at the sound of knocking, Wilbur trailing behind him, one hand gripping his tail like they always did when they were children, as the piglin stares through one of the windows and opens the door, letting the Admin of the world enter his tiny cottage.

Dream shakes off the snow off him, and grins, his multiple smiles widening as he admires the tiny spruce house, and smirking when he sees Wilbur trailing faithfully behind Techno, like a lost kid. The piglin scowls at the admin, and nudges him inside, pointing at one of the chairs as he sits down at the couch, the ghost instantly plastering himself by his side.

“So Techno, why did you call?” Dream said, sinking into the chair and sighing happily at the warmth of the fireplace.

“You said something and I’m maintaining my promise”

“... Techno, I have said many things to you, be more specific please”

Rolling his eyes Techno, huffed, leaning back against the couch “You said to call you if anything related to Wil came up”

“Oh!” Dream exclaimed, sitting up more properly, looking at the ghost, who steadily ignored the shapeshifter as he furrowed under Techno’s cape. “What did you find?”

“I found this” Techno took two books out of his pocket, opening the very old one in a page, the other book having notes and translation from the pages “I think I know how to get him back”

The admin carefully took the book into his hands, silence reigning over the room as the other examined what he had on hands, reading and rereading the pages until the instructions were practically memorized.

“I… Techno, are you sure? What you are proposing is… risky, to say the least” Dream said, sounding concerned but at least not outright rejecting the idea. “What if it doesn’t work?”

“It will work” Techno sighed “It has to”

“Respawn stars are very fragile matter Tech, are you really really sure you want to go through this? Surely there could be another option”

Techno growled, his twin just clinging more tightly to him at the sound “Yes I am pretty sure”

“Okay, okay!” Dream puts up his hands in the air “What will you do if this works, though? Having a damaged respawn star is super dangerous”

“I was thinking of getting Wilbur out of here. No offense to you Dream, but this World has sincerely fucked Wilbur over too much; I don’t think it would be a good idea to stay if we succeed”

“None taken. But where would you go? As far as I know you don’t have any private World and you used to live in Hypixel before all of… this”

“I have some contacts, Simon is a good friend of mine, I talked to him about this before, and he said he would be willing to let me and Wil make the server our personal home. And, Wilbur will need help after this, so it would be more easy for us to travel to the Public Hub if we had to seek attention somewhere else”

Dream whistled, leaning back, and looking at Technoblade closely, “You have everything planned, huh?”

“Yep”

“What would you have done if I hadn’t decided to help?”

“Still do it, only without you in stand by”

Dream sighed, as if expecting the answer, and stood up. “Let me guess, after this.. Ritual is done… you will ask me to help you take Wil out of here”

“How well you know me”

“Shut it bacon”

Techno laughed, standing up as well, Wilbur shadowing him; motioning the shapeshifter to follow, Techno flicked a lever and pistons opened a hidden door. The new room was dimn, decorated with blackstone and gilded blackstone, chiseled bricks making a small altar in the middle, a gold dagger and ghast tears in glass bottles in a small circle in it.

Dream whistled, following the piglin behind, as Techno made Wilbur sit down in front of the altar, the brothers nudging each other's head carefully, in clear sign of affection. Techno had on his hands his and wilbur’s respawn star, glowing dimly, and in the other an undying totem. Motioning Dream to stand at the other side of the altar, Techno carefully deposited the stars in two wooden bowls.

“You read carefully what to do, right?” Techno asked, getting a nod from the shapeshifter.

Sighing, Technoblade took the golden dagger into his hands, cutting just below his wrist in a superficial straight line, letting the blood drip over each star, making sure that it bled enough over them before carefully putting a bandage over. Taking the ghast tears, he deposited an equal amount over the stars, motioning Dream to take the dagger, the admin activating the code of the server, and making a small incision on the hand that glowed, letting three drops fell into each bowl.

“Ready?” Dream asked, hands shifting into talons as he held each star and looked at Techno, who nodded and held the totem in two. “Alright”

With a quick snap, he tightened his grip over Techno’s respawn star, the material cracking loudly against the silent room. Ignoring the silent and pained gasp of the other, he let the blue liquid of the star seep into the other, until satisfied, nodding at Techno to break the undying totem over the necklace and letting the green magic drip into it.

“Do you swear to take what once took him away, letting him borrow your lives to live again?” the Admin asked, code glowing brightly and enveloping the stars, as the Universe stopped and held in their breath.

“I swear,” Techno said, ignoring the pain inside of him exploding, as the Universe took the promise and made it take hold.

The galactic carved into the blackstone glowed a bright purple, a sound not too dissimilar to an end portal opening filling the room, as Wilbur’s respawn star glowed and glowed and glowed, cracks disappearing under their eyes.

The ghost gave a pained whimper at it, clutching at his abdomen as blood started flowing from there, dripping into the stone, as the ghost's pale and greyed out face regained color, the blood appearing and disappearing as if it were a glitch. As the code takes hold and settles, the blood evaporating, and the room falling silent again, Dream sighs, practically collapsing against the altar as the ritual finally finishes.

The three stand in the empty room, staring at the now completely healed Respawn Star in Dream's hand, glowing brightly, a blue and red shine over it. Wilbur collapses against the stone, practically knocked out, previously broken communicator now on his hands, as the alive Wilbur breathes, skin a peachy pink.

Techno coughs, faltering and swaying in his place, totally exhausted.

“Well… That went better than expected” Techno commented, blinking tiredly at the shapeshifter, who was kneeling besides his now alive brother and carefully slipping the newly restored respawn star on his neck.

“I feel like a truck ran me over” Dream said, passing him his own star, the necklace not glowing anymore, one of the points of the star missing a piece. 

“Don’t tell me” Techno huffed, putting the necklace on and sitting on the floor, groaning at the pain now filling him. “Pass me one of my strength and speed potions”

“Shouldn’t you, dunno, sleep right now?”

“Pass me the damned potions, Dream”

Sighing, Dream opened one of the chest close to the door and passed him the glass bottle, the piglin barely hesitating before downing the red liquid, and then chugging the silver one, practically relaxing as the pain and tiredness went away.

Shuffling towards his brother, Techno kneeled and took him into his arms, carefully getting out of the room and going to his bedroom, depositing him carefully on his bed, taking care to cover him, gulping and trying to work past the heavy lump on his throat at the sight of his twin, now alive, breathing softly asleep.

He closes the door and goes to the living, where Dream is practically passed out on the chair, the shapeshifter resembling more a drunk person from how melted he is on the chair.

“We’ll leave tomorrow” Techno says, also practically collapsing on the couch, groaning a little when he accidentally squishes his snout “That okay?”

Dream just makes an okay sign with his clawed hand, shifting into something smaller and curling on the chair besides the fireplace, practically instantly falling asleep, tired from how much energy the “ritual” took from him.

Techno just stays there, breathing and relishing in the distinct sound of his twin breathing in the other room, the familiar heartbeat soft but still perfectly capable of hearing it. He stays there until the fire nearly runs out, and he gets up, putting more wood there and then proceeding to start rummaging through the chests, starting to make the bags for when they leave.

After making them, filling them with some potions and clothes, which will be the only thing that will be able to get out of this damned server, Techno starts searching for his valuables, piling them all together. He throws all the diamond blocks, the emeralds, the gold onto the fire, watching it get destroyed with determination. He knows after they leave, people will come here and search for whatever they can find, and Techno refuses to give the people that hurt his brother so much anything, at all.

He destroys what's valuable, burying down all the netherite armour he knows he won’t use, hiding it just in case. He spends a few hours like this, destroying anything that could be valuable, hiding what he couldn’t bring to destroy, until the sun is beginning to rise. He packs some food, fully knowing the shapeshifter never feeds himself anything nutritious, sustaining himself on only golden apples (which Techno honestly doesn’t recommend, golden apples taste horrible after a while).

Then, and only then, Techno stares at his personal things, standing in front of the carved wooden box that holds most of his jewelry. While he had donated half of what he had for Wilbur a few weeks back, Techno still has a lot of it, the gold shining brightly in the humble box. Right now he doesn’t have any gold on himself, having taken it off for the ritual to revive Wil, so he stares and tries to think what he wants to take with him.

First he takes the golden cuffs, a gift from Simon and Hypixel, and puts them in his pouch, the necklace from the Mondays competition goes next, the shiny dirt charm standing brightly against the silver chain; his earrings from when he and Wilbur left their first Sounder go next, the old jewelry practically dulled from how old it is; Squid’s earring go into his ear now, the intricate chains clinking, as the little charms dangle and shine with the light. Then, he stares at the rings that are at the end of the box.

He takes into his hands silver and golden rings that usually go on his tail, tiny diamonds encrusted into it, forming a small snowflake if one were to connect the points. He stares at it, memories of barren tundras prominent on his mind, of laughs and auroras borealis over his head. He deposits the rings back into the box, now looking at the two tiny rings on his hands, crudely made, the gold full with bumps from the poor craftsmanship.

These rings go usually on his tusk everyday, and he slips on the one with a guitar carved into the side, warmth filling him as he remembers his twin presenting him this ring as a gift. He stares at the three other rings, one made of iron with gold wings carved in the inside, the other made out of wood with gold carefully decorating the sides, and then another iron one, bees and flowers carved on the inside.

He stares at these promises, at what supposedly tied him together with people who no more he can consider family, and thinks on what to do. It doesn’t feel right, not anymore, to wear them, as he remembers angry voices, screams and tears when they look at him. No, he cannot wear them anymore, but should he leave them behind?

Ths rings carry so much history, it feels almost impossible to try and imagine himself without them on his tusk. He traces the carving, closing his eyes and basking for a moment on the memories, before sighing and putting the rings back, with the exception of the last one, pocketing it, still hesitant to leave it behind. Phil and Tommy had been clear on their intentions, but Techno is still unsure where he stands with Tubbo, so he will take it with him. He won’t wear it, but will have it with him, his instincts refusing to leave it behind.

Satisfied, he brings the box and stops before the fireplace, hesitating, before only putting it besides it, not knowing if he could deal with destroying the rings.

The sun rises, and Techno sighs, going into the living room and shaking Dream awake, easily ducking under the swing of claws from the shapeshifter. They eat in silence, the other taking in the bags packed with clothes while Techno goes for his brother, taking him into his arms and standing beside the Admin, as he types something into the Code.

“You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be”

  
  


**_Technoblade has left the game_ **

**_Dream has left the game_ **

**_WilburSoot has left the game_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally struggled with how to end this, since i wanted to keep adding more but it would have disrupted the flow of the story so yeah, it ends here. If you want to know why Techno wanted dream's help it truly wasnt for the ritual, it was more bc since Dream is the admin, he can take tech and wil out of the server without having to go to spawn (and techno rlly wanted to avoid people lol)
> 
> I am a firm believed that Wilbur had some kind of breakdown and desesperatly needed help, which he unfortunately didn't get since a 16 year old was in charge of him and no shade to tommy, but it shouldn't have been his responsability lol.
> 
> This is kind of a happy ending, and i will not expand more onto the idea since i want to focus on my other fics but this is what was supposed to happen after: Techno and Wilbur move permanently into Hypixel, techno gets Wilbur help since he clearly knows something was wrong with him. They stay on skyblock, wilbur slowly healing and trying to move past what happened. Techno never has contact anymore with Tommy and Phil, since the first disowned him and the latter betrayed him by killing and then not caring abt his brother. Phil spends a lot of time trying to find them, but no one tells him where they are, since Techno made clear he didn't want any contact with him nor tommy (since he took to heart the disowned thing). Tubbo and Dream are the only ones Techno lets visit from the SMP, after making them promise to not tell anyone else. Wilbur heals and learns to cope with what he did and what happened, the brothers living together in peace.
> 
> Tommy and Phil find techno's hidden base and get crushed when finding the rings they made for techno left behind, but after some time they learn to move on. Years later, techno finally reaches out but they end up only as friends since the piglin no longer completely trust them.
> 
> Not exactly happy ending, but happy enough for me lol.
> 
> Also, this whole story was inspired by this [tweet](http://twitter.com/THEWlLBURZONE/status/1330248277879627779?s=20) so give them love bc they so big brained

**Author's Note:**

> As always my tumblr is @villruu and my twt @vrillru, i sometimes talk about my fics lol
> 
> Also, AO3 statistics show that only a small percentage of you leave kudos, comments and bookmarks, so if you could do them, i would appreciate it a lot. It really helps the story out, and you can always eliminate them later. And if you like my stuff, feel free to check out the other fics I've written!


End file.
